Healthy eating has become quite prevalent these days with many choosing to either go vegan or try out quirky diets. If you’re looking for a healthy food fix, I’m sure that Carrotsticks & Cravings would be the perfect place for you.
Hidden amongst the lush greenery at Dempsey Hill, Carrotsticks & Cravings focuses on healthy eating and bringing authentic Australian cuisine to Singapore. The cafe has al fresco seating with floral decorations all around and a rustic country vibe to the design.
The interior of the cafe is where the kitchen cooks up all the delicious dishes and also sells several baked goods that are made in-house. Carrotsticks & Cravings supports the idea of reducing waste and has a couple of reusable products available for purchase, such as metallic straws and collapsible cups.
We managed to speak with the founder of Carrotsticks & Cravings, Terri-Anne Leske, to find out more about the backstory of this lovely cafe and the inspiration behind a few of the dishes. Terri-Anne knows how important photographing food is to many customers, so she makes an effort to keep photography props at the cafe for her customers.
A mother of three, Terri-Anne is currently working full time in the food and beverage industry handling Carrotsticks & Cravings at both Dempsey as well as Robertson Quay.
Terri-Anne has been a freelance food photographer for seven years, and she has also published three cookbooks and had her cafe for two years.
She shared with us that her focus has always been to provide healthy meals for her children which gave her immense inspiration to set up the cafe. The children have also made the cafe their second home, regularly going to the one at Dempsey.
Terri-Anne strongly felt that there was a huge gap in the Singapore F&B market when it came to Australian food, let alone healthy Australian food, which really drove her to create Carrotsticks & Cravings.
Terri-Anne’s love for her food is the heart of Carrotsticks & Cravings and so we definitely had to try the dishes that she held closest to her heart. The first dish that she chose was the Smashed Avo On Sourdough (S$26).
The Smashed Avo On Sourdough consists of squashed avocado spread over two sourdough bread slices. The sourdough slices are made with fresh herbs, feta and dukkah (an Egyptian condiment consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts, and spices).
The dish comes in various combinations—you can even choose to pair it with pomegranate at S$20. The alternative was with smoked salmon, leg ham or poached eggs, all at S$24. The last combination is to have either smoked salmon or leg ham with poached eggs at S$26. We decided to get the Terri-Anne’s favourite, Smashed Avo On Sourdough with smoked salmon and poached eggs.
The egg was cooked to perfection, with the thin egg white revealing a flowy, oozing egg yolk. The avocado spread was buttery and smooth, with a mild earthy taste that paired very well with the savoury egg.
The smoked salmon was firm and had a distinct smoky flavour and an intense saltiness, pairing well with the relatively bland avocado spread.
Another dish that was closest to Terri-Anne’s heart is the Keto Chicken Avo Salad (S$26). The salad is made up of mesclun—a mix of assorted small young salad greens, drizzled with lemon herb dressing.
The cafe makes its own pickled red onions which topped the salad as well, giving a slight tang to the salad. The best part of the dish is the tender chicken breast slices which are antibiotic-free and sous-vide.
The last touch to the salad is a sprinkle of feta cheese and roasted walnuts. Even though it’s merely a salad, I’d say that this dish could easily make a whole meal because of its size. Just writing about me has me craving for another bowl of this salad!
If you’re not looking for anything too heavy, Carrotsticks and Cravings serves up an Acai Berry Bowl (S$14).
This acai is not only made with acai berries but also slices of blended pineapples which gives the acai some vibrant tropical flavour to balance out the sweetness. Customers can choose to have either a vegan peanut butter granola topping or a berry coconut topping to finish off that delightful acai bowl.
For drinks, we decided to get the all-time latte favourite Cappucino (S$6.50) which was absolutely smooth with a bold coffee flavour and subtle sweetness. The top of the cappuccino was frothy and creamy, just the way I like it.
The other drink we tried was the Probiotic Berry Elixir (S$7) from the category “AKESI BIO FERMENTED”. Recommended for the improvement of children’s’ gut health, Akesi is big on gut health research and its products offer prebiotic and probiotic powders and super-charged tonics.
Carrotsticks and Cravings uses the products from Akesi to create refreshing drinks such as the one we tried, which was fizzy and bursting with berry flavours—I really liked it!
It was such a wonderful experience dining at Carrotsticks & Cravings and speaking with Terri-Anne about her love for her food and brand. I can already envision myself catching up with friends over that acai bowl.
I’d say that this place would be my go-to if I ever needed a cleanse from my current eating habits. Which of the dishes are you craving now?
Expected Damage: S$30 – S$40 per pax
ChopeDeals: Save 10% at Carrotsticks & Cravings >
Price: $ $
Our Rating: 5 / 5
Carrotsticks & Cravings
75E Loewen Road, Singapore 248845
Carrotsticks & Cravings
75E Loewen Road, Singapore 248845